I am quite prepared to become the poster boy for GM expounding the benefits of keeping your car bone stock.....
-
Got the Contributing Memberships stuff finally worked out and made up a thread as a sort of "How-To" to help people figure out how to participate. So if you need help figuring it out, here's the thread you need to take a look at -> http://www.corvetteflorida.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3581 Thank you, everyone! Rich Z.
427 engine (part 2) - RHS block
- Thread starter Rich Z
- Start date
I am quite prepared to become the poster boy for GM expounding the benefits of keeping your car bone stock.....
shakedown067
Sinister C4
If you think you are loony or insane...or even question it, you are not! :crazy03:
Got a call from Aaron today and he told me my turbos are on the way to his turbo guy in Arizona to see what he can come up with. Aaron talked to STS and now STS is pushing to get me to add in ANOTHER scavenge pump. I guess I must have purchased a prototype system since it only came with a single wastegate and a single scavenge pump and now they want ME to pay for their design deficiencies to fix the problems their original design is causing?
Maybe it would just be best to just yank all that turbo crap out of there and just call it a day......
Seriously guys, keep your cars stock. This is just insane.
Maybe it would just be best to just yank all that turbo crap out of there and just call it a day......
Seriously guys, keep your cars stock. This is just insane.
RevXtreme 1
www.revxtreme.com
T 2-10 lines together to one GOOD scavenge pump (Under $300 for the one I use) and you are good.
Yeah, the pump that's on the car seems to be working just fine. I'm just not inclined to through money unnecessarily at that car at this point. As I told Aaron, I have to see an actual and demonstrated NEED for additional expense at this point.
:ahh::ahh::ahh::ahh::ahh::ahh::ahh::ahh::ahh::ahh:
Dammit.........
Got a call from Aaron today to tell me that the engine blew a head gasket while on the dyno.
This sh!t is getting REAL old........
I wish to hell I had cut my losses and sold the car a long time ago.
Dammit.........
Got a call from Aaron today to tell me that the engine blew a head gasket while on the dyno.
This sh!t is getting REAL old........
I wish to hell I had cut my losses and sold the car a long time ago.
I just can't figure out how that engine could possibly blow a head gasket. I bought what I thought should be a bullet proof build. Top of the line components put together by a top of the line engine builder (LME). There are 6 head bolts for every cylinder instead of the standard 4. Compression ratio is fairly mild at under 10:1. Bryan at LME says the engine can take 25 psi of boost easily and the turbos are only putting out 10psi. Aaron says the tune is pretty conservative, as he's not willing to chance it by going radical on the tuning. Heck that engine and turbo set up doesn't NEED a radical tune to put out a sizeable chunk of horsepower.
So what the hell caused a blown head gasket? :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
So what the hell caused a blown head gasket? :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
vetteguy61
New member
Damn Rich you can't seem to win on your build. hard to say why the head gasket blew. Sure hope that this is the last of the gremlins and everything from now on will work out good.If you gonna be home tomorrow I'll give you a call. Hang in there buddy.
I think at this point I would have been much better off just pulling the car out of Harwood's shop and leaving it on the parking lot with the keys in it hoping someone would steal the SOB. At least I would have gotten the insurance on the base car. At this point there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this car will be a continual headache for me. But hell, with a blown head gasket, I can't even drive it to a lot somewhere and put a FOR SALE sign on the damned thing.
Well, Aaron's bill just might be high enough that I just toss him my extra set of keys and the title and walk away from it.
The engine is being pulled this upcoming week. That's the end of me throwing money at this thing. Anything else breaks is just going to have to stay broken.
I phucked up a perfectly good C5 Z06......
Well, Aaron's bill just might be high enough that I just toss him my extra set of keys and the title and walk away from it.
The engine is being pulled this upcoming week. That's the end of me throwing money at this thing. Anything else breaks is just going to have to stay broken.
I phucked up a perfectly good C5 Z06......
Mike, no offense, but the LAST thing I want to talk with anyone about right now is "corvettes"....
vetteguy61
New member
No problem Rich I understand.
Latest info....
The engine is out of the car and the heads are off. Aaron says he can't see any obvious fault of the head gasket, but that's not unusual for that style (Cometic?) of head gasket. But honestly that does worry me. The indication he noted that led him to believe that a head gasket had blown was coolant coming out of the exhaust. There are other things that can cause that, none of which would be good news. Yeah, wouldn't getting word that I have a cracked block or head just make my day?
In any event, Aaron found that cylinder #7 apparently had had a foreign object within it. There were marks on the piston surface and the underside of the head from something bouncing around within the cylinder. Doesn't look like anything was really damaged, but he wants to pull the piston to make certain that the piston rings aren't damaged. Since the engine came in to Harwood's shop without the intake manifold on and Aaron has not pulled off the intake for any reason, the most likely assumption to make is that something fell into one of the intake runners when Harwood had it in his hands. Aaron didn't see anything still in the cylinder, so at this point there is no idea what it might have been.
Doesn't this all sound just DUCKY?
Anyway, I got an email from Neal telling me that he got a notice from RHS a couple of months ago concerning a new head gasket design they came up with to fix some apparent issues with their block being compatible with stock or other aftermarket head gaskets. So it's quite possible that perhaps this is related to the head gasket problem on my engine. I spoke to Bryan at LME about this and he indicated he has build quite a few engines based on the RHS block using the same gaskets I have without any issues cropping up. So beats the heck out of me.. In any event, Aaron is going to get me a set of these "new and improved" gasket sets. But the way my luck is running, they will likely be on backorder for a few months.
I feel so damned STUPID for just not having the brains to know when I am beat by all this.... Surprisingly enough, Connie is pretty much encouraging me to keep on plugging away at it. Honestly without her encouragement, it would be very easy to just give up now.
Anyway, as I told Aaron today, I'll drive the car when it is finished. If I feel the ghost of "you know who" sitting in the car with me while I'm in the car, then I'll get rid of it. Depends on how deeply and pervasive the "taint" of bad memories goes with that car...
The engine is out of the car and the heads are off. Aaron says he can't see any obvious fault of the head gasket, but that's not unusual for that style (Cometic?) of head gasket. But honestly that does worry me. The indication he noted that led him to believe that a head gasket had blown was coolant coming out of the exhaust. There are other things that can cause that, none of which would be good news. Yeah, wouldn't getting word that I have a cracked block or head just make my day?
In any event, Aaron found that cylinder #7 apparently had had a foreign object within it. There were marks on the piston surface and the underside of the head from something bouncing around within the cylinder. Doesn't look like anything was really damaged, but he wants to pull the piston to make certain that the piston rings aren't damaged. Since the engine came in to Harwood's shop without the intake manifold on and Aaron has not pulled off the intake for any reason, the most likely assumption to make is that something fell into one of the intake runners when Harwood had it in his hands. Aaron didn't see anything still in the cylinder, so at this point there is no idea what it might have been.
Doesn't this all sound just DUCKY?
Anyway, I got an email from Neal telling me that he got a notice from RHS a couple of months ago concerning a new head gasket design they came up with to fix some apparent issues with their block being compatible with stock or other aftermarket head gaskets. So it's quite possible that perhaps this is related to the head gasket problem on my engine. I spoke to Bryan at LME about this and he indicated he has build quite a few engines based on the RHS block using the same gaskets I have without any issues cropping up. So beats the heck out of me.. In any event, Aaron is going to get me a set of these "new and improved" gasket sets. But the way my luck is running, they will likely be on backorder for a few months.
I feel so damned STUPID for just not having the brains to know when I am beat by all this.... Surprisingly enough, Connie is pretty much encouraging me to keep on plugging away at it. Honestly without her encouragement, it would be very easy to just give up now.
Anyway, as I told Aaron today, I'll drive the car when it is finished. If I feel the ghost of "you know who" sitting in the car with me while I'm in the car, then I'll get rid of it. Depends on how deeply and pervasive the "taint" of bad memories goes with that car...
I drove up to Aaron's place today and he took me over to the shop that pulled the engine out of my car and removed the head. I believe the guy's name is John McGee. I have to confess that I am getting right tired of seeing my car on a lift and the engine sitting on a stand.
In any event, I inspected first hand the marks made by whatever it was that had apparently dropped into cylinder 7. The opinion is that it must have been a washer. Obviously whatever it was, it was bouncing around in that cylinder and having a grand ole time about it...
Here's looking into the cylinder at the top of the piston..
And here's the view looking at the head that was over top of cylinder 7.
While looking at these pics, I noticed a piece of something laying on top of the piston head that I didn't see with the naked eye while at the shop.
No telling what that is.
I'm not sure what the game plan is, but I thought that the #7 piston was going to be pulled to look for damaged rings on that piston.
The new head gaskets came in today, and Aaron needs to get a new oil pan gasket and I believe another gasket for something.
I'm not sure what other bad news awaits me with this, but I'm SURE there will be something.
In any event, I inspected first hand the marks made by whatever it was that had apparently dropped into cylinder 7. The opinion is that it must have been a washer. Obviously whatever it was, it was bouncing around in that cylinder and having a grand ole time about it...
Here's looking into the cylinder at the top of the piston..
And here's the view looking at the head that was over top of cylinder 7.
While looking at these pics, I noticed a piece of something laying on top of the piston head that I didn't see with the naked eye while at the shop.
No telling what that is.
I'm not sure what the game plan is, but I thought that the #7 piston was going to be pulled to look for damaged rings on that piston.
The new head gaskets came in today, and Aaron needs to get a new oil pan gasket and I believe another gasket for something.
I'm not sure what other bad news awaits me with this, but I'm SURE there will be something.
Well the piston needs to be replaced. Not that this surprises me much. But that means yet another wait till the new piston comes in.
But at least the cylinder walls appear to be OK.
I'll still be holding my breath when the engine is started up again. Since there was no proof that the head gasket had blown, there is going to be the possibility of something else causing the coolant coming out of the tailpipe. Wouldn't that just make my day to learn that the block or a head is cracked? :ack2:
But at least the cylinder walls appear to be OK.
I'll still be holding my breath when the engine is started up again. Since there was no proof that the head gasket had blown, there is going to be the possibility of something else causing the coolant coming out of the tailpipe. Wouldn't that just make my day to learn that the block or a head is cracked? :ack2:
Aaron called me today to let me know that the engine is back in the car and he'll be picking it up from the shop that did the latest work on it, tomorrow. That work included replacing the bunged up piston (w/ new rod bearings a new rings), replacing the oil pan gasket and pan bolts, fixed the reverse problem with transmission, and generally just put it all back together and got it running. From what Aaron says it is running very well now. No oil leaks, no coolant coming from the exhaust, and nothing rattling around in any of the cylinders.
He says he is hoping to finish up everything this upcoming week. Should only mean final tuning and tiding up everything. I'm planning on running out there to take some video of the final tuning. And perhaps video the final fireball that ends this epic saga when the engine detonates. Too many things have gone wrong for me to be optimistic at this point. So if I am pessimistic, any surprises should be pleasant ones.
He says he is hoping to finish up everything this upcoming week. Should only mean final tuning and tiding up everything. I'm planning on running out there to take some video of the final tuning. And perhaps video the final fireball that ends this epic saga when the engine detonates. Too many things have gone wrong for me to be optimistic at this point. So if I am pessimistic, any surprises should be pleasant ones.
palmbeachvette76
New member
Rich,
I have followed this thread and adventure for months now. I must say you have displayed a level of patience that goes beyond anything I have ever seen before. I commend you for being able to go through all of what you've endured. I truly hope that in a very short time your car will be all that you had originally sought after and hoped for and this ordeal will be a speck off in the distance of your rear view mirror.
Looking forward to your videos :thumbsup:
I have followed this thread and adventure for months now. I must say you have displayed a level of patience that goes beyond anything I have ever seen before. I commend you for being able to go through all of what you've endured. I truly hope that in a very short time your car will be all that you had originally sought after and hoped for and this ordeal will be a speck off in the distance of your rear view mirror.
Looking forward to your videos :thumbsup:
I just realize that there is absolutely nothing else I can do that would change anything. So why risk multiple exploded blood vessels in my brain?
CorvetteJohn
Deceased
I agree with palmbeachvette76. It seems very clear that you must have a very special loving caring wife who has supported you in this quest so far. I am sure she has given you encouragement when you needed it. The real winner's here are the two of you who have endured the results of a less than professional build and the required clean up of previous shoddy work. So my hats off to the two of you.